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Affidabilità dei Dispositivi Ferroelettrici: il futuro

dell’elettronica di nuova generazione

Reliability of Ferroelectric Devices: the future of next-generation electronics

Ferroelectrics are special materials in which electrical charge can be stored in a (semi-) permanent and
reversible manner. Thanks to this, ferroelectrics can be used to make ‘non-volatile’ semiconductor memo-
ries. It is also possible to use ferroelectrics to make neurosynaptic devices that can mimic the behaviour
of biological synapses. These devices can be used in electronic systems inspired by the functioning of
the human brain for artificial intelligence applications. The electronics research group Devices, Circuits &
Systems of the Enzo Ferrari Engineering Department - DIEF, led by Prof. Paolo Pavan and Prof. Francesco
Maria Puglisi, has dedicated itself to the study of ferroelectric devices, in particular to researching the reli-
ability of ferroelectric transistors, known as FeFETs. The team published a review article entitled ‘Reliability
of HfO2-Based Ferroelectric FETs: A Critical Review of Current and Future Challenges’ in the prestigious
journal Proceedings of the IEEE, which delves into technological developments in the field of electrical and
computer engineering. The review article, which could become a benchmark for the scientific community
on ferroelectrics, is part of a fruitful research collaboration with Prof. Muhammad Ashraful Alam of Purdue
University, USA, an expert on electronic devices and Fellow of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers). The research activity, which led to the publication of contributions in prestigious international
scientific journals, was carried out by Dr Nicolò Zagni during his mobility period during his PhD at Purdue
University and as a research fellow at DIEF. The discovery of ferroelectric properties in hafnium oxide (HfO2)
has opened up the possibility of integrating these devices on a large scale, as HfO2 is a material used for
the manufacture of transistors in the CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) family, which is
the basis of almost all commercial devices.

l 23 Dicembre 1947 il primo transistor Una delle tecnologie più promettenti sono
funzionante fu dimostrato ai Bell Labs i dispositivi ferroelettrici. I ‘ferroelettrici’ sono
da John Bardeen, Walter Brattain e Wil- particolari materiali nei quali può essere imma-
liam Shockley. Questa importantissima gazzinata della carica elettrica in modo (semi)
Iinvenzione valse loro il premio Nobel per permanente e reversibile. Grazie a queste loro

la Fisica e rivoluzionò per sempre il mondo. proprietà, i ferroelettrici possono essere utilizzati
per realizzare memorie ‘non-volatili’ a semicon-
A 75 anni da allora, la ricerca per realizzare di-
spositivi a semiconduttore sempre più performanti duttore. Inoltre è possibile utilizzare i ferroelet-

e più efficienti è più vitale che mai. trici per realizzare dispositivi neuro-sinaptici
in grado di mimare il comportamento delle

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